
Law firm provides update to City-County Council about sexual harassment probe
Councilors authorized an external investigation in August after three women came forward with harassment allegations against the mayor’s former chief of staff.
Councilors authorized an external investigation in August after three women came forward with harassment allegations against the mayor’s former chief of staff.
The letter accuses the Indiana Democratic party of hiding allegations and sheltering offenders. It also demands transparent investigations into any and all allegations of sexual harassment and assault involving party members.
Sen. Greg Taylor of Indianapolis was reelected by the Indiana Senate Democratic caucus just hours after The Indianapolis Star reported three women have accused Taylor of sexual harassment.
The Indianapolis City-County Council Investigative Committee voted Wednesday evening to select national law firm Fisher Phillips to conduct an independent investigation into the Hogsett administration’s handling of sexual harassment allegations.
Despite concerns over the Indianapolis mayor’s response to sex harassment allegations against his former chief of staff, Joe Hogsett said he has no plans to resign and believes he reacted appropriately to the allegations at the time they were lodged.
The committee, which will have the power to subpoena witnesses including members of the Hogsett administration, is made up of five Democrats and two Republicans.
The legislative body overwhelmingly approved the proposal, which authorizes an investigation by an independent human resources or law firm with no ties to city business, as well as the creation of a council investigative committee.
An administrator at the Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development was fired Wednesday after an internal investigation found “overwhelming evidence” of inappropriate sexual misconduct, according to documents released by the city’s attorneys.
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett spoke to the media about the sexual harassment allegations against former aide Thomas Cook for the first time Wednesday.
The Hogsett administration is currently under scrutiny after three former female employees made harassment accusations against former Chief of Staff Thomas Cook, who served as Hogsett’s close adviser for years despite concerns raised about his behavior.
The Democratic-controlled City-County Council allowed the immediate introduction of a measure that would potentially let a committee investigate Democratic Mayor Joe Hogsett’s response to three women’s sexual harassment allegations against Hogsett’s former top aide, Thomas Cook.
An IndyStar investigation reported that Thomas Cook, who served as Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett’s chief deputy and advised him in other capacities, was accused by three subordinate women staffers of showering them with gifts and attention and then pressuring them toward intimacy.
The federal lawsuit filed Wednesday by the county’s director of human resources lists Boone County Councilman Aaron Williams and Boone County as co-defendants.
A report says World Wrestling Entertainment impresario Vince McMahon agreed to pay more than $12 million over the past 16 years to suppress allegations of sexual misconduct and infidelity.
The bill would nullify agreements between employees and their employers in which the employees waive their rights to sue in the case of sexual assault or harassment.
The change is part of a larger reckoning over sexual harassment at McDonald’s. At least 50 workers have filed charges against the company over the last five years, alleging physical and verbal harassment and, in some cases, retaliation when they complained.
The fast-food giant said Wednesday that its franchisees have committed to provide the training—a combination of online work and in-person discussions—to 850,000 employees.
More than two dozen current and former McDonald's workers filed sexual harassment complaints Tuesday to confront what they say is widespread misconduct at the fast-food behemoth.
House members approved the policy in a unanimous voice vote Thursday after the Senate adopted a similar policy two weeks ago.
The Indianapolis Star published a story Wednesday afternoon that said House Speaker Brian Bosma paid a law firm to investigate and find negative information about a former intern who alleges she had a consensual sexual encounter with Bosma in 1992.